Scholten Japanese Art and Ryo Iida Asian Artare pleased to announce our eleventh collaborative project: Sacred Symbols in Profane Japan, an exhibition of paintings and religious objects of devotion from the Kamakura period (14th century) to the Late Edo period (19th century).

One of the highlights of the show is apainting of the monk Daruma by Ogawa Haritsu(Ritsuo 1663-1747)which is inscribed with a poem about Daruma by Kozan Garyu (1718-1792),a monk of Koshoji-Temple in Uji. Ritsuo was a very well-known (and sought-after) painting, lacquer and metalwork artist who studied with both the Kano and Tosa schools.

The story of Bodhidharma (popularly known as Daruma), the early 5th century Southern Indian prince turned monk and his extreme austerity (nine years of gazing at wall in meditation) is widely known among Japanese. Although his role in transmitting Zen Buddhism to China (and subsequently Japan) is revered, the somewhat ill-tempered monk is also regarded as a talisman of good luck in Japan.

In this painting by Ritsuo, Daruma is depicted with a dark complexion and scruffy facial hair which identify him as both foreign and an ascetic, while his large eyes and gruff expression are typical of Japanese renderings of the beloved subject.